Queen Beatrix in Brunei

HM the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam delivering his titah during the Royal Banquet as HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands looks on/ INFOFOTO

Queen Beatrix began a two-day visit to Brunei on Monday in what is her 53rd official state outing. Later in the week, the queen will move on to Singapore, for a two-day state visit to the island nation at the invitation of president Tony Tan Keng Yam. The queen is accompanied by Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima as well as a trade delegation of Dutch companies. Oil giant Shell is part of a consortium operating in Brunei’s extensive oil and gas fields.